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Jasprit Bumrah was the Player of the Match for taking nine wickets in the Visakhapatnam Test against England

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Feb-20241:54

Manjrekar: Bumrah’s impact key to India drawing level

Jasprit Bumrah finished the Visakhapatnam Test against England with nine wickets – 6 for 45 and 3 for 46 – to help India draw level at 1-1 in the series. The highlight of his performance was the yorker that swung into Ollie Pope and uprooted his middle and leg stumps in the first innings.”As a youngster that [the yorker] is probably the first delivery I had learned because I had come from tennis ball cricket and I had seen the legends of the game, Waqar [Younis], Wasim [Akram] and even Zaheer Khan, I had seen them on the television, how do they bowl yorkers,” Bumrah told the broadcaster after India’s 106-run victory. “As a kid I used to feel that is the only way to take wickets. So that is the first delivery I learned. Yes, I kept it with me and I kept on using it to my advantage and now even in Test cricket when you get wickets off it, it’s great.”Bumrah now has 36 wickets in six Tests in India, at an outstanding average of 13.06 and strike rate of 29.5, but he said he wasn’t focussed on numbers anymore. “I don’t look at numbers because when I was a youngster I used to look at numbers. Yes, it made me excited, but you know, if you think about numbers, there’s a lot of pressure anyway playing for India. And if you take that added baggage, it doesn’t really help. So I’m very happy that we won and when you contribute towards that success it feels even better.”Related

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When asked if he felt like the leader of India’s attack, even though players like R Ashwin have a lot more experience than him, Bumrah said: “Not the leader but I feel that I have played a little more cricket. We are going through a transition. There are a lot of new bowlers coming in. So it’s my responsibility to help them and guide them in whatever way I can. So yeah, it’s always good that when we have certain conversations, what do we have to do in certain scenarios, it feels great.”Bumrah gave India timely breakthroughs on the final day of the Visakhapatnam Test, trapping Jonny Bairstow lbw in the final over before lunch, and then breaking a half-century stand for the eighth wicket by catching Ben Foakes off his own bowling. After the game, Rohit Sharma was asked if Bumrah was a luxury to have in the team.”Yeah, it is [a luxury to have Bumrah]. I mean, look, you know, he’s a champion player for us,” Rohit said. “It’s been a while, you know, that he’s doing the job for the team. But yeah, I mean, when you win a game like that, you know, you’ve got to look at the overall performance as well. We were good with the bat and then obviously we know that winning a Test match in these kind of conditions is not going to be easy. We wanted our bowlers to step up and they did that.”

Shakib Al Hasan’s absence will make striking the right team balance tricky, concedes Bangladesh captain

Mohammad Isam12-Mar-2024Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto has played down Bangladesh’s recent form blip in ODIs, saying that they are preparing to make a comeback against Sri Lanka this week. Bangladesh have lost their last two home series to Afghanistan and New Zealand and are looking to avoid a third straight defeat.Shanto said that Shakib Al Hasan’s absence will influence how they shape the playing XI, but he wants to keep the batting order as unchanged as possible in this series.”We are prepared for a turnaround as a team,” Shanto said a day before the start of the three-match ODI series. “We did very well between 2015 and 2022, but we had one bad year. That can happen. We always face challenges at this level, so it is important that we start playing well.”We didn’t change [our line-up] much in our last series in New Zealand. Shakib isn’t in the team, so there will be a bit more planning. He makes life easy for all of us. We will keep his absence in mind when making the batting order. We are hopeful of having a steady batting line-up.”Bangladesh will bank heavily on their bowling unit, particularly the quicks, to bring them success in Chattogram. It is usually batting-friendly in the port city, where the dew is often a factor even in March, considered springtime in Bangladesh.”It is important to see how the bowlers adjust to the conditions and wicket in Chattogram,” Shanto said. “It is definitely a challenge for them. Everyone has to consider the conditions in which they are bowling. We are not worried about how much a bowler is conceding individually. We want to see the bowling unit functioning well as a group.”Bangladesh will also hope that Soumya Sarkar, who cracked 169 in the second ODI in New Zealand last year, comes good against Sri Lanka. He broke Tamim Iqbal’s 14-year-old record of the highest overseas innings by a Bangladesh batter in ODIs, but Soumya made only four more runs in the series.”[Soumya] played a full series in New Zealand after a long time. He played a big innings in one of the matches. Everyone has to be consistent. There is room for improvement, and Soumya knows about it,” Shanto said. “He is working on it. His innings in New Zealand was indeed a big deal for our team, especially in those conditions. I am hopeful that he will use his opportunity well.”Bangladesh can expect to play in front of small crowds at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium given it’s Ramadan time. Shanto said that it didn’t worry him as he expected the crowds to come as soon as the team started to do well.”Everything is okay the moment we win a game,” he said. “We probably become a bad team after losing one game. The lower hype may be due to the start of Ramadan. We are not worried about it. Those who follow the team, they always come to the ground. I think they become emotional because they expect a lot more from us. We always try to give our best to make them happy.”

Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rinku Singh played support roles as India drew level 1-1 in the T20I series, with three games still to play

Karthik Krishnaswamy07-Jul-2024
India’s first step into a new era of T20 cricket began with a stumble on Saturday, but they dusted themselves off well and truly to close out the weekend with a portentous win headlined by their most futuristic player. Abhishek Sharma, who lit up IPL 2024 with his incandescent, all-intent displays at the top of the order, gave international cricket its first glimpse of his ability on Sunday, taking Zimbabwe apart with a 46-ball century, the joint third-fastest by an India batter in T20Is.Related

• Abhishek Sharma's territory is expanding

• Stats – Abhishek Sharma hits India's third-fastest T20I hundred

That effort led India to 234 for 2 – their second-highest T20I total away from home – and left Zimbabwe needing to pull off their highest successful chase – they had only once hauled down a target above 199. They didn’t get anywhere near close, as India’s vastly superior bowling attack made full use of a two-paced pitch while defending a total that was well above-par. The margin of victory – exactly 100 runs – perfectly summed up the contest.

A deceptive start

On Saturday, Zimbabwe had opened the bowling with Brian Bennett, deploying his offspin against India’s left-hand debutant, and that had brought a first-over wicket-maiden with Abhishek out for a duck. The same match-up kicked off the second T20I after India opted to bat, and Abhishek got off the mark in international cricket off the first legal ball he faced, pulling it for six.It was a sign of what was to come, but it also wasn’t. International cricket isn’t necessarily a standard than the IPL, but it can be very, very different. This was a Harare pitch with a bit of spongy bounce and seam early on, and Zimbabwe’s attack used it well in the powerplay to keep India to 36 for 1.Shubman Gill fell in the second over, chipping Blessing Muzarabani straight to mid-on, and the towering quick was Zimbabwe’s best bowler in the early stages, troubling Ruturaj Gaikwad in particular with his lift and movement in the corridor. Abhishek took time coming to grips with the conditions too, and at one point was batting on 27 off 23 balls.Then he looked to clear his front leg and hit Luke Jongwe’s nibbly medium-pace over the top, and miscued it high in the air over the mid-off region. Wellington Masakadza got under it, and put it down.Abhishek Sharma’s savours the feeling of getting to a maiden international ton•Associated Press

Abhi shakes the room

From that point on, Abhishek was unstoppable, clattering 72 runs in his last 23 balls at the crease, hitting five fours and seven sixes in that time. Suddenly, the conditions ceased to bother him. He was rocking back to marginally short balls and pulling with fierce power. He was stepping out and freeing his arms gloriously to loft over the covers. A modest Zimbabwe attack, suddenly, was looking like what it was.There was another drop along the way, Tendai Chatara running to his right from long-off and getting only the heel of his palm to a lofted drive off Sikandar Raza, when Abhishek was on 77 off 40. Zimbabwe were in the firing line, though, and with all the batting India had in the dugout – they had left out the left-arm quick Khaleel Ahmed and included an extra batter, handing Sai Sudharsan his T20I debut – he was taking nearly every ball on. Abhishek wasn’t worried about getting out – this is why he made such an impact in the IPL even though his longest innings of the season only lasted 28 balls – and on this day luck smiled on him.Along the way, he left a couple of bowlers nursing vivid bruises. Dion Myers’ slow-medium disappeared for 4, 6, 4, 6, 4 in the 11th over, the pick of the hits a monster pull that hit the roof beyond the leg-side boundary to bring up Abhishek’s fifty. Then Masakadza, unfortunate both to have dropped Abhishek and to be a purveyor of left-arm orthodox, went for 6, 6, 6 in the 14th over – the last of them a one-handed swipe over backward square leg that brought up Abhishek’s century – before a miscue off the next ball ended the onslaught.Abhishek Sharma and Ruturaj Gaikwad put on 137 off 76 for the second wicket•Associated Press

Gaikwad and Rinku pile it on

Or not, because Zimbabwe still had six overs to bowl and India were in the mood now. Gaikwad’s struggle against the conditions and the rust of playing his first competitive cricket since the IPL extended all the way until his 38th ball, when he brought up his fifty with a pulled four off Jongwe. He took Chatara apart in the next over, the 18th, hitting him for three fours and a six to eventually finish unbeaten on 77 off 47.India’s main source of end-overs carnage, however, was Rinku Singh, who had been unlucky to miss their World Cup campaign while boasting an average of 89 and a strike rate of 176.23 in 11 innings at the time the squad was announced. He was in his element here, promoted to No. 4 with the perfect entry point for his skills, slapping the sixth ball he faced for a charging six over the covers and finishing the innings with a four and back-to-back sixes off Jongwe, who ended with figures of 0 for 53 in four overs. Not what he may have anticipated when he induced Abhishek to miscue on 27.

Mukesh, Avesh and Bishnoi wrap it up

If Zimbabwe had any hope going into their chase, it lay in the composition of India’s attack. Having picked the extra batter, they were playing only four frontline bowlers, which left four overs to be completed by part-timers Abhishek and Riyan Parag.Abhishek isn’t a part-timer in domestic cricket, and has plenty of variations to go with his stock left-arm orthodox, but he discovered how difficult bowling in the powerplay in an international game can be, conceding 19 in the second over with Bennett in an aggressive mood. Bennett took hold of Mukesh Kumar in the next over as well, hitting him for a pair of massive back-to-back sixes – over square leg and then down the ground – but he fell next ball.Brian Bennett got Zimbabwe off to a flying start with 26 off 9 before being bowled by Mukesh Kumar•Associated Press

That was the second wicket Mukesh had taken with an in-ducker, after one in the first over to bowl Innocent Kaia through the gate. That sort of seam movement, with a bit of inconsistent bounce thrown in, was a defining feature of Zimbabwe’s powerplay: they scored 22 runs more than India did in that phase, thanks to Bennett’s aggression, but they lost four wickets to India’s one.One of these summed up how challenging the conditions still were: a bouncer from Avesh Khan skidding onto Sikandar Raza as he shaped to hook, forcing him to fend a catch off the glove to the keeper.Zimbabwe’s innings continued to flounder after the powerplay, with Ravi Bishnoi looking particularly unhittable – Johnathan Campbell, sweeping and reverse-sweeping with increasing desperation, failed to put bat on five successive balls from him, and bottom-edged the sixth into his body. Wessly Madhevere batted from the start of the chase all the way to the 17th over, and made 43 off 39 balls. Zimbabwe were eventually bowled out for 134 with eight balls remaining, with Mukesh and Avesh bagging three wickets apiece and Bishnoi finishing with 2 for 11 from his four overs.

Miller, Klaasen, Maharaj have been included while Rabada has been rested

Firdose Moonda31-Oct-2024Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee will make their returns to international cricket in next month’s T20I series against India at home after a conditioning break. Both players have been part of the CSA domestic T20 Challenge, after Jansen last featured at the T20 World Cup in June and Coetzee at the preceding T20I series against West Indies in May.The pair have worked on a shoulder and hip niggle respectively and were the first two bowlers to be given an extended period of time off as Cricket South Africa (CSA) introduced structured breaks in play to work on conditioning. Lungi Ngidi, who is part of the Test squad in Bangladesh but has not played a game since an ODI in October, will have his turn to work over the next six weeks, as he prepares for the home Tests against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. He is not part of the T20I squad for the India series while Kagiso Rabada has been rested with the Tests in mind.Fast bowler Anrich Nortje, who opted out of a national contract, has also not been named in the squad. “I wanted to prioritise other fast bowlers in the group. Anrich is a quality player, he plays in leagues around the world and we know what we get from him. We need to give some of our other bowlers an opportunity to play quality opposition,” Rob Walter, South Africa’s white-ball coach said at a press conference.Related

• 'Worth the hours, worth the sacrifice' – SA savour subcontinent high after a decade's wait

• Rabada on 300th Test wicket: 'Everyone plays for milestones, it was a relief'

• Rabada back at No.1 in Test bowling rankings; Ravindra, Shakeel break into top 10

South Africa still have several big names in the squad. Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller and Keshav Maharaj, who were not part of South Africa’s white-ball squads in the UAE, have all been included.The squad will be captained by regular leader Aiden Markram and will have Reeza Hendricks and Ryan Rickelton at the top of the order.There are two uncapped players, allrounders Mihlali Mpongwana and Andile Simelane, who were the joint second-leading wicket-takers in the recently completed T20 Challenge. They were among four players who took 12 wickets at averages of 14.08 and 14.25 respectively. Both have been part of South African squads in the recent past and add to a strong all-round contingent. Donovan Ferreira, who was the third-highest run-scorer in the T20 Challenge, and Patrick Kruger have also been included.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Notably, there is no room for Tabraiz Shamsi after he also opted out of a national contract last month. He remains available for international cricket but South Africa have opted for Maharaj and legspinner, Nqabayomzi Peter.”Shammo’s situation is similar to Anrich Nortje,” Walter said. “They are both available and wanting to play. For me, giving Nqaba Peter an opportunity to play was a priority. Shammo has played a lot for South Africa and in leagues around the world. We know what we get from Shammo.”He is a fierce competitor and loves playing for South Africa. It’s important we get the balance right between experience and inexperience.”South Africa’s seam-bowling contingent will be bolstered with the addition of Lutho Sipamla for the third and fourth matches on the Highveld. Sipamla last played for South Africa in 2022 in a Test match and has not played a white-ball international since April 2021 but his career-best 4 for 12 at the Wanderers in the T20 Challenge final forced him into the squad. Sipamla will not be in the squad for the coastal games in Durban and Gqeberha, which kick off the series, which starts on November 8.There has been no movement on Quinton de Kock’s availability, despite him not announcing his T20I retirement. Walter had previously said he has not had any discussion with de Kock about his future and that remains the case.”Quinny’s status is as it has been for the last couple of months. I continue to leave the ball in his court. I have allowed him to have his space and not play international cricket. If he wants to play for South Africa, we will have that conversation. For now, he is not part of our selection conversation,” Walter said.

South Africa Squad for T20Is against India

Aiden Markram, Ottneil Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Donovan Ferreira, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Patrick Kruger, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Mihlali Mpongwana, Nqaba Peter, Ryan Rickelton, Andile Simelane, Lutho Sipamla (only for third and fourth T20I), Tristan Stubbs

The pitch is expected to be more spin-friendly than the first Test with Sri Lanka looking to salvage the series

Tristan Lavalette05-Feb-2025

Big picture: Australia look to build legacy, Sri Lanka hope to salvage series

Before the series opener, there were some Australians who hadn’t watched their national team play a Test match in South Asia. After watching Australia submit a near-perfect performance in Galle on free-to-air television, they might be wondering what all the fuss was about.Australia inflicted Sri Lanka’s worst defeat in Test cricket in a beatdown that felt out of the golden era under Steve Waugh. But this team isn’t satisfied just yet despite having already retained the Warne-Muralidaran Trophy on the back of their momentous series victory against India, which put them in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.They want to achieve greatness and to do that they need to finish the job in the type of ruthless fashion they haven’t always exhibited. Australia were left frustrated after a big second Test defeat to Sri Lanka on the 2022 tour, while they let series leads slip on Ashes tours in 2019 and 2023. Australia also had to settle with a drawn home series against West Indies just over 12 months ago after the remarkable Gabba Test.Related

• Sri Lanka's 'strength is spin', but it's a game Australia can play too

• Karunaratne toils his way to a place among Sri Lanka's greats

• Karunaratne: 'Series win in SA 2019 one of the most favourite chapters of my career'

• Konstas leaves Sri Lanka to play Sheffield Shield

• Ramesh Mendis recalled for second Test against Australia

A victory in the second Test will add to their growing legacy and secure a rare series victory in South Asia, adding to their triumph in Pakistan in 2022 – their only series win in the subcontinent since winning in Sri Lanka in 2011.It is unlikely to be as straightforward on a different Galle surface – it was extremely dry a day out from the game – expected to rag and against a Sri Lanka team having had to undergo some soul-searching.Sri Lanka did lose a decisive toss but mustered very little fight in a humiliating defeat. But things can change quickly in Test cricket in Sri Lanka and the hosts will hope that a change of conditions combined with the farewell of retiring opener Dimuth Karunaratne might just spark a major turnaround.Their bid to regain the Warne-Muralidaran Trophy are over, but Sri Lanka can still salvage a drawn series and arrest a recent slide in Test cricket after some strong performances last year had them close to qualifying for the WTC final.

Form guide

Sri Lanka LLLWW
Australia WWWDWMarnus Labuschagne’s poor run of form continued in Galle•Getty Images

In the spotlight: Dimuth Karunaratne and Marnus Labuschagne

Dimuth Karunaratne will retire from Test cricket after playing his 100th game in this match. It will be a grand occasion for him, and he will be keen to end his career on a strong note. After such listless batting from Sri Lanka in the first Test, Karunaratne will be tasked with helping shore up the top order. He will also be keen to reverse his own poor form after only making 7 and 0 in the first Test. His struggles against left-arm quick Mitchell Starc continued with a first-innings dismissal before he was clean bowled by offspinner Todd Murphy after a horrible misjudgment. There will be a lot of pressure on Sri Lanka’s batting order when they front up and Karunaratne will need to use his wealth of experience to help them build a platform.After encountering tough seam-bowling conditions against India, Australia’s batting order relished a benign surface in the first Test and posted their highest-ever total in Asia. Usman Khawaja made a double-century, Steven Smith and Josh Inglis scored centuries, while Travis Head set the tone with a rapid half-century. But Marnus Labuschagne‘s 20 off 50 balls stood out like a sore thumb. After being beaten all ends up by a sharp legbreak from Jeffrey Vandersay on his first ball, Labuschagne continued to struggle just before lunch on the first day in what was perhaps the only period in the match where Sri Lanka were competitive. He eventually poked Vandersay to slip as his century drought extended since Manchester in 2023. There had been some speculation that Labuschagne might be dropped, but coach Andrew McDonald has confirmed he would play. Labuschagne would want a decent score with pressure starting to mount and competition for spots heating up with the emergence of Inglis and Sam Konstas in recent times.

Team news – SL could get Nissanka boost, Connolly in line for debut

Sri Lanka could receive a much-needed boost with opener Pathum Nissanka expected to return after missing the first Test with a groin strain. He is set to replace Oshada Fernando, who made just 7 and 6 in the series opener. Offspinner Ramesh Mendis has been added to the squad and is set to replace Nishan Peiris, who failed to penetrate in the opening Test. Mendis took six wickets in his most recent Test – against New Zealand in Galle last September – and will add batting depth having made three half-centuries in his last six first-class innings.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Dimuth Karunaratne, 2 Pathum Nissanka, 3 Dinesh Chandimal, 4 Angelo Mathews, 5 Kamindu Mendis, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva (capt), 7 Kusal Mendis (wk), 8 Ramesh Mendis, 9 Prabath Jayasuriya, 10 Jeffrey Vandersay, 11 Asitha FernandoPathum Nissanka missed the first Test but is likely to be fit for the second one•Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images

Australia’s line-up is settled but left-arm spin-bowling allrounder Cooper Connolly could be in line for his Test debut with sharp turn expected on this surface. The 21-year-old Connolly is a much stronger batter than bowler at this point of his fledgling career and would add significant batting depth. He is wicketless from 96 deliveries in his first-class career so far, but could be dangerous in spin-friendly conditions. If Connolly plays, Murphy is likely to make way.Australia (possible): 1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Travis Head, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Steven Smith (capt), 5 Josh Inglis, 6 Alex Carey (wk), 7 Beau Webster, 8 Cooper Connolly/Todd Murphy, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Matthew Kuhnemann, 11 Nathan Lyon

Pitch and conditions

The first Test’s slow surface won’t be reused. Instead, a couple of pitches away, the surface for this match has looked drier in the lead-up, fueling belief that conditions might be heavily skewed towards spin.The players will again have to come to grips with stifling humidity, but clear conditions are forecast through the match after wet weather impacted some of the opening Test.

Stats and trivia

• Khawaja needs 133 runs to become the 16th Australian to reach 6000 Test runs
• Starc needs five wickets to overtake Ian Botham’s tally of 383 wickets and move into the top 20 on the all-time list
• Sri Lanka are on a three-match losing streak – they have lost four consecutive Tests only twice in the past decade: to New Zealand/England in 2015-16 and against South Africa/England in 2020-21

Quotes

“Dimuth’s proved that he’s the best opener around, if you look at his stats. If you take Sri Lanka batters, he’s in the top five in terms of runs scored. In the last while, he’s taken a lot of responsibility and taken the game forward.”
“Same as last Test, we’re going to wait pretty late and see what the wicket looks like. It looked drier two days out compared to the first [Test]”

David Warner, Steven Smith and Travis Head are included but the all-format quicks and allrounders will prepare for the Test summer back home

Andrew McGlashan28-Oct-20234:06

Moody: Wade’s captaincy and experience important for Australia

Matthew Wade will captain Australia in the five-match T20I series against India after the 2023 ODI World Cup. The multiformat fast bowlers and allrounders have been left out ahead of the Test summer, but David Warner, Steven Smith and Travis Head are included.Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood will return home after the World Cup along with Cameron Green and Mitchell Marsh, who captained Australia’s previous T20I series against South Africa, to prepare for the home Test season which begins on December 14 against Pakistan in Perth.Related

• New format, new teams, a bit more India vs Australia

• Suryakumar to lead India for Australia T20Is; Axar returns

• Borovec to coach Australia for India T20Is with McDonald resting

• 'I've had no issues' – Green comfortable on the fringe as his never-ending tour of duty continues

• Captain Wade unsure if he will be Australia's first-choice keeper at T20 World Cup

That could open up the opportunity for them to play the final round of Sheffield Shield matches before the BBL break, which begin on November 28, although previously the big three quicks have been comfortable not playing a four-day match before a home Test series.Marsh and Green are vying for the No. 6 spot with Marsh the incumbent after playing the final Ashes Test at The Oval. The selectors will need to decide whether to make Green available for Western Australia’s Shield match against Queensland in Brisbane or give him a break. The inclusion of Warner, Smith and Head in the T20 squad means they are unlikely to get any red-ball cricket before the first Test in Perth.With Marsh heading home it meant a new stand-in captain was needed with Wade, who has previously done the role on seven occasions including the final game of last year’s T20 World Cup when Aaron Finch was injured, taking on the duties. It marks a significant change in his career trajectory after previously indicating last year’s tournament in Australia could be his swansong.Wade was initially overlooked for the tour of South Africa as the selectors blooded some new names but was later called up as a replacement and chair of selectors George Bailey had previously said he was in the running for this tour.It is expected a permanent appointment as Australia’s T20 captain will be made during the home season with Marsh the frontrunner to take the role ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup.Matthew Wade has previously led Australia in seven T20Is•BCCI

The remainder of the squad is made up of players who featured in the 3-0 victory over South Africa with left-arm quick Spencer Johnson given another chance to impress along with legspinner Tanveer Sangha and allrounder Matt Short.”It’s an experienced squad with a mixture of players who have had their first opportunity on the international stage and that we hope will continue to develop into important players in our T20 group,” Bailey said. “Matthew has captained the team previously, is a leader in the group and we look forward to him taking the reins for this series. Like Mitch Marsh in the South Africa series, this is another great opportunity to further deepen our international leadership experience and depth.”Western Australia allrounder Aaron Hardie is the one player who featured in that series to miss out. Left-arm spinner Ashton Agar was not considered due a recurrence of his calf injury.Once the ODI World Cup is complete attention will turn to preparations for the next T20 edition in the West Indies and USA in June 2024. After the five games in India, Australia have a three-match series against West Indies and New Zealand in February as their other confirmed fixtures before that tournament.Starc and Cummins are expected to be among the players to put their names into the hat for a return to the IPL with a view to using that competition as preparation for the T20 World Cup.The matches against India take place on November 23, 26, 28 and December 1 and 3.Australia’s T20I squad: Matthew Wade (capt), David Warner, Travis Head, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Short, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Josh Inglis, Jason Behrendorff, Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Spencer Johnson, Adam Zampa, Tanveer Sangha

Thakur, Sai Sudharsan replace Nitish Kumar Reddy and Karun Nair for India, while Dawson comes in for the injured Bashir

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jul-2025Toss Shubman Gill believes that a combination of a good batting surface and gloomy overhead conditions made it a “good toss to lose” in Manchester after England captain Ben Stokes won his fourth in a row and inserted India.No team has ever chosen to bowl at Old Trafford and gone on to win a Test match, but Stokes believes that his team can defy that trend. “There’s pretty decent overhead conditions for bowling,” he explained at the toss. “It’s a typical Manchester wicket: quite firm, a little bit of grass coverage. Hopefully, we can make use of it this morning.”India made three changes, two of them forced, and handed a Test debut to Anshul Kamboj, the Haryana and Chennai Super Kings seamer. Sai Sudharsan replaces Karun Nair at No. 3 after he failed to pass 40 in the first three Tests, while Shardul Thakur and Kamboj replace the injured Nitish Kumar Reddy and Akash Deep.Gill said he was “a bit confused” as to whether he would have chosen to bat or bowl first, but was spared the decision as India lost their 14th consecutive toss across all men’s internationals. “The way we have played in the last three matches has been outstanding,” Gill said, isolating only the “small crunch moments” as the difference between the teams.England announced their XI two days before the game with a single, forced change from the side that won by 22 runs at Lord’s last week. Liam Dawson, the Hampshire allrounder, returns for his first Test in eight years, replacing Shoaib Bashir who fractured the little finger on his left hand while attempting a return catch in the third Test.

Tom Hartley, Gus Atkinson also receive first call-ups for five-Test tour starting in January

Matt Roller11-Dec-2023Shoaib Bashir, the 20-year-old Somerset offspinner with 10 wickets in his first-class career, has been named in England’s 16-man squad to tour India for a five-match Test series in early 2024. He is one of three uncapped players included along with left-arm spinner Tom Hartley and fast bowler Gus Atkinson, who have both represented England in limited-overs cricket.England’s captain Ben Stokes, who underwent surgery on his left knee last month, is included in the squad as expected, though will not be fit to bowl. Ben Foakes is also recalled after he was dropped for the Ashes, while Jack Leach and Ollie Pope both return to the squad after back and shoulder injuries during the English summer.Related

• Shoaib Bashir vows to stay humble after breakthrough winter as he bides his time at Somerset

• Gus Atkinson: 'When people ask for a group photo, I'm getting used to the fact they also want me in it'

• Bairstow unsure if he will retain his role as England's wicketkeeper in India

• England Lions to play three four-day matches against India A in Ahmedabad

• Hartley in the right place as England opportunities beckon

Rehan Ahmed, who took seven wickets on Test debut in Karachi a year ago, is one of four specialist spin options alongside Leach, Hartley and Bashir. There are only four frontline seamers in the squad, with James Anderson and Ollie Robinson complemented by the pace of Atkinson and Mark Wood – meaning no place for Chris Woakes.But it is Bashir’s inclusion that stands out. He made his professional debut in June after signing a professional contract with Somerset and has played only six first-class matches, but was the outstanding spinner on England Lions’ recent training camp in the UAE, taking match figures of 6 for 42 in a three-day fixture against Afghanistan’s A team.Rob Key, England’s director of cricket, said that Bashir’s natural attributes, including a high release point, had encouraged the selectors to look beyond his modest first-class figures, and added that the upbeat environment fostered by Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes would help bring out the very best in his abilities.”I think we focus more on what style of cricket we want to play and what do we think is going to go out there and win,” Key said. “It’s about ‘what is someone’s upside?’ It’s very hard, especially for spinners in English cricket, to judge them on their numbers as such. You’re not going to expect your spinner to average 24 with the ball in county cricket, you’re trying to see something else and back their character.”You want to see how the ball comes out of their hand – you’re going more to the art of selection, rather than the science of selection – and you back that environment that Stokes and McCullum have created with all the other players, to get the best out of these people. With Stokesy’s captaincy in particular, your bet is often that he’ll be the one who can get something out of these players. You just want to create an environment where you think they can thrive, which is no mean feat when you’re talking about a Test tour of India.”Hartley has a modest first-class record for Lancashire, with 40 career wickets at 36.57. But England believe that he also possesses attributes – he is 6ft 4in, and regularly bowls at speeds of 60mph/97kph or more – which will make him well-suited to replicate the role that Axar Patel has performed in Indian conditions.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

With Stokes unlikely to bowl a ball – “we never had him down to be bowling in India,” Key said – England will have difficult decisions to make over the balance of their side, not least over the identity of their wicketkeeper. Key hinted at the end of the World Cup that Bairstow had been told to work on his fitness – “he needs to actually get himself into a position where he can go and take on an Indian Test” – but insisted that they have not made a call.”[It is a] decision to be made and it hasn’t been made yet,” Key said. “A bit like the Ashes, we will get to the point where we feel like we have to make that decision. A lot can happen between now and then. That will come down to Brendon [McCullum] and Ben balancing the side, all kind of things. It’s a different place to keep than England. That decision will be made nearer the time.”Along with Woakes, who hinted at his likely non-inclusion earlier this year, other notable omissions include Dan Lawrence, Liam Dawson and Will Jacks. Lawrence was the spare batter throughout the Ashes but has been squeezed out of the squad, while Dawson and Jacks both have contracts to play in South Africa’s SA20, which clashes directly with the tour.Liam Livingstone, who made his Test debut in Pakistan a year ago, was not included and will instead play franchise cricket, while Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts and Josh Tongue – who picked up an injury on the Lions’ training camp in the UAE last month – are among the seamers on the periphery.England’s squad will travel to the UAE for a preparatory camp in mid-January and will arrive in India shortly before the first Test in Hyderabad on January 25. An England Lions squad, which is yet to be named, will also travel to India to shadow the main tour.England Test squad: Rehan Ahmed, James Anderson, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ben Foakes, Tom Hartley, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Ben Stokes (captain), Mark Wood

New Zealand were in the game for long periods but fell short in the end

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Oct-2023South Africa bounced back from the defeat in the fourth T20I with an 11-run win in the fifth and final game to square the rain-hit series 1-1 in Benoni on Sunday. Tazmin Brits and Sune Luus did most of the work with the bat, but it was the bowlers who won South Africa the game, Masabata Klaas and Nadine de Klerk picking up three wickets apiece to stop New Zealand 11 short in a moderate chase.Asked to bat, captain Laura Wolvaardt and Brits put on a quick 36-run stand at the top, Wolvaardt doing the bulk of the scoring before being dismissed for a 20-ball 24 in the fifth over by Lea Tahuhu. Anneke Bosch joined Brits, and the two took South Africa to a strong 75 for 1 at the halfway mark, but the two batters were dismissed within three overs of each other, and South Africa were 115 for 3 in 15.1 overs, with the scoring rate having slowed down.Luus contributed an unbeaten 36 in 23 balls, and despite two-wicket hauls from Tahuhu and Molly Penfold, South Africa got to a competitive 155.South Africa needed early wickets, and Klaas got one for them when she got rid of Kate Anderson for 11 in the third over. But Suzie Bates and Amelia Kerr took control of the game from that point and stitched together a stand of 97 runs for the second wicket. Unfortunately for New Zealand, the pace of scoring wasn’t fantastic, and when Bates was dismissed for 45 in 42 in the 16th over, by de Klerk, New Zealand still needed 39 to win. Kerr’s dismissal, to Klaas, two overs later made things worse.None of the remaining New Zealand batters got into double figures as Klaas, the Player of the Match, and de Klerk did all the damage and South Africa finished in front.South Africa had earlier won the three-match ODI series 2-1.

Ethan Bamber five-for, Ryan Higgins fifty help visitors take grip in tricky conditions

ECB Reporters Network 25-Jul-2023Middlesex took ruthless advantage of winning a valuable toss by bowling Warwickshire out for 60 on the opening day of their LV=Insurance County Championship match at Edgbaston.Warwickshire were skittled for their lowest championship total since 1982 – when they made 43 versus Sussex at Edgbaston – as Ethan Bamber took 5 for 20 and skipper Toby Roland-Jones 3 for 27. The seamers skilfully exploited helpful conditions but were abetted by some flawed defensive shots.Middlesex then replied with 199, with Ryan Higgins making 53 from 72 balls, for a first innings lead of 139 – and there was still time on a chaotic day for the home side to lose two wickets second time round, reaching 53 for 2 by the close.When Roland-Jones won the toss, he hoped his seam attack would make early inroads – to have the home side 17 for 5 after 23 minutes did that job.It all started swimmingly for Warwickshire as both openers struck their first ball for four, but Roland-Jones launched the clatter with a lifter which Alex Davies gloved to the wicketkeeper. Two balls later, the skipper sent a full-length ball into Will Rhodes’ stumps.Bamber then found Sam Hain’s edge and Sam Robson took a slick catch at second slip. A simpler chance, offered by Rob Yates off Roland-Jones, was also accepted by Robson before Bamber bowled the entire middle order in 44 balls. Dan Mousley and Jake Bethell were bowled through the gate, Michael Burgess was castled by one that kept low and Ed Barnard’s off stump was clipped by a peach of an outswinger.When Henry Brookes edged Higgins to third slip, No. 11 Mir Hamza found himself striding in at 12.20pm. He was soon making the return journey after nicking a pull at Higgins.In ten minutes’ batting before lunch, Middlesex lost Robson who edged Olly Hannon-Dalby to first slip. Soon after the interval, Steve Eskinazi edged Hannon-Dalby behind and Mark Stoneman fell lbw to Hamza who then bowled Max Holden through another open gate.After diligent innings of 18 from Jack Davies and Jon Simpson were ended by fatal edges, Higgins and Josh de Caires counterattacked. For the first time the pressure was turned on the bowlers as the seventh-wicket pair added 71 in 18 overs.Higgins has damaged Warwickshire in the past with the ball, notably with 11 for 96 for Gloucestershire in the Bob Willis Trophy at Bristol in 2020. This time he biffed seven fours and a six on his way to his 18th first-class fifty before becoming the first of three wickets for Barnard. Higgins was bowled, de Caires skied a slog and Roland-Jones struck the ball into the crowd at long-on but clipped off a bail with his after-stroke and departed hit wicket.When Bamber fell lbw to Hannon-Dalby, Middlesex had a chunky lead of 139 and, remarkably, Warwickshire were in again for 13 overs. Their traumas continued as Davies sliced Bamber into the cordon to add a first-baller to his morning second-baller and Rhodes nicked an indiscrete waft at Tom Helm. That was careless from the captain but it was Warwickshire’s morning of mayhem that has left them in a cavernous hole.